I've mentioned before that I've never been one to have perfect skin and this post isn't to nullify that cos it still is far from perfect but thanks to a select few beauty tools, I think I have managed to bring whatever skin issues I had under a semblance of control.
I'm not 100% convinced but the main product that has contributed to this turnaround I believe is the detox green tea I've been drinking since the beginning of the year. I have quite religiously drank 2 cups a day, with a few skips here and there, and I believe the detoxifying properties is contributing to the clearing of my skin. I guess the antioxidants from the green tea are also doing its part to reduce the effects of aging but since I don't even look my age as yet, I have no real idea if the tea is actually helping in that department. Ask me again in 10 years and if I'm still looking like I'm in my twenties then we'll both have the answer to that. The only drawback to the tea is its "flushing" effects. I normally drink the tea between 5-6 in the evening and the detoxifying will unfortunately wake me up in the middle of sleep. I'll usually wake up around 2.45 am and will go again after I've had my morning coffee at about 6-ish. It's slightly tedious to be awoken as such but in the end it's for the best that that I get it out of the way before I have to be in the office. Nobody wants to be the one who holds up the toilet at work. The taste of the tea itself can be somewhat disturbing if I have accidentally let it steep for too long but otherwise it is tasteless. I don't put in any artificial sweetener or anything else really and simply take the tea as is. Prefer it that way in fact. Although the instructions say that per day you should drink 2-3 teabags, I usually manage to stretch out the one teabag for 2 cups in succession. Hence, recouping my money via prolonging the purchase period between boxes as there are about 50 packets in a box which normally lasts me about 1.5 months.
Next on my beauty regime list is of course the Basis soap brand that I've been using for the better part of the year. I'm currently on my second bar which is different from the original sensitive skin one I tried first as it's meant for acne prone skin instead. I have not noticed any difference per se in the effects of the acne soap bar or sensitive soap bar but once I finish the 2 bars of glycerin base acne soaps I will revert back to the creamy sensitive bars as I think it's less drying on my skin. Plus, I'm trying not to allow my skin to completely build up a resistance to the soaps, hence the switching it up a bit. Perhaps, I'll alternate between the cream bar and the glycerin bar. I'll just play it by ear.
On the scrub front, I haven't used my baking soda concoction since switching bar soaps but have instead used my pore minimizing Garnier scrub to slough off the dead skin. I usually forget to use the scrub until I feel my skin surface get gritty but normally when I'm actually following a routine, I'll use the scrub twice a week. And immediately followed with a cleanse using the soap. I find that if I use the scrub alone and don't follow up with the bar soap then I will likely get some bumps on my skin the following morning so to be on the safe side, I double wash my face. Once with the scrub then with the soap.
For toning purposes, I have done away with the Kiehls blue astringent as it didn't particularly help any and was pricey to boot. Instead I now alternate between my Garnier lightening dew toner and my Boots Witch Hazel and tea tree toner. They both prep my skin for the best moisturizer absorption and that's what the Kiehls could never do.
My moisturizer of choice is also by Garnier. I love their Skin Renew night moisturizer that I got from the States but that's all finished now so instead I'm trying to finish off the skin renew Regenerating Serum I also got during that trip. It doesn't work as well as a night cream as it's not light enough but it comes from the same range so I'm not going to pick on it too much. Plus, any skin regenerating is always welcome in my eyes.
For pampering purposes, I still use the Garnier range's self-heating clay mask as well as their whitening essesnce mask alternatively but I have also recently gotten the Pelican Detanseki charcoal soap which I haven't tried out as yet but am hoping will become an alternative to all the mask slathering. If it works out as well as all the reviews it has gotten then I'll have a more economical alternative to buying the Garnier maska cos in the long run those masks do add up to a small fortune, even when I get them on specials.
That's my current beauty regime. I'm pretty stuck on it and like the saying goes, why fix it if it ain't broke. When there's a breakdown in the system, I'll contend with it then but for now, I am happy to have my routine. Who says routine is dull?
I'm not 100% convinced but the main product that has contributed to this turnaround I believe is the detox green tea I've been drinking since the beginning of the year. I have quite religiously drank 2 cups a day, with a few skips here and there, and I believe the detoxifying properties is contributing to the clearing of my skin. I guess the antioxidants from the green tea are also doing its part to reduce the effects of aging but since I don't even look my age as yet, I have no real idea if the tea is actually helping in that department. Ask me again in 10 years and if I'm still looking like I'm in my twenties then we'll both have the answer to that. The only drawback to the tea is its "flushing" effects. I normally drink the tea between 5-6 in the evening and the detoxifying will unfortunately wake me up in the middle of sleep. I'll usually wake up around 2.45 am and will go again after I've had my morning coffee at about 6-ish. It's slightly tedious to be awoken as such but in the end it's for the best that that I get it out of the way before I have to be in the office. Nobody wants to be the one who holds up the toilet at work. The taste of the tea itself can be somewhat disturbing if I have accidentally let it steep for too long but otherwise it is tasteless. I don't put in any artificial sweetener or anything else really and simply take the tea as is. Prefer it that way in fact. Although the instructions say that per day you should drink 2-3 teabags, I usually manage to stretch out the one teabag for 2 cups in succession. Hence, recouping my money via prolonging the purchase period between boxes as there are about 50 packets in a box which normally lasts me about 1.5 months.
Next on my beauty regime list is of course the Basis soap brand that I've been using for the better part of the year. I'm currently on my second bar which is different from the original sensitive skin one I tried first as it's meant for acne prone skin instead. I have not noticed any difference per se in the effects of the acne soap bar or sensitive soap bar but once I finish the 2 bars of glycerin base acne soaps I will revert back to the creamy sensitive bars as I think it's less drying on my skin. Plus, I'm trying not to allow my skin to completely build up a resistance to the soaps, hence the switching it up a bit. Perhaps, I'll alternate between the cream bar and the glycerin bar. I'll just play it by ear.
On the scrub front, I haven't used my baking soda concoction since switching bar soaps but have instead used my pore minimizing Garnier scrub to slough off the dead skin. I usually forget to use the scrub until I feel my skin surface get gritty but normally when I'm actually following a routine, I'll use the scrub twice a week. And immediately followed with a cleanse using the soap. I find that if I use the scrub alone and don't follow up with the bar soap then I will likely get some bumps on my skin the following morning so to be on the safe side, I double wash my face. Once with the scrub then with the soap.
For toning purposes, I have done away with the Kiehls blue astringent as it didn't particularly help any and was pricey to boot. Instead I now alternate between my Garnier lightening dew toner and my Boots Witch Hazel and tea tree toner. They both prep my skin for the best moisturizer absorption and that's what the Kiehls could never do.
My moisturizer of choice is also by Garnier. I love their Skin Renew night moisturizer that I got from the States but that's all finished now so instead I'm trying to finish off the skin renew Regenerating Serum I also got during that trip. It doesn't work as well as a night cream as it's not light enough but it comes from the same range so I'm not going to pick on it too much. Plus, any skin regenerating is always welcome in my eyes.
For pampering purposes, I still use the Garnier range's self-heating clay mask as well as their whitening essesnce mask alternatively but I have also recently gotten the Pelican Detanseki charcoal soap which I haven't tried out as yet but am hoping will become an alternative to all the mask slathering. If it works out as well as all the reviews it has gotten then I'll have a more economical alternative to buying the Garnier maska cos in the long run those masks do add up to a small fortune, even when I get them on specials.
That's my current beauty regime. I'm pretty stuck on it and like the saying goes, why fix it if it ain't broke. When there's a breakdown in the system, I'll contend with it then but for now, I am happy to have my routine. Who says routine is dull?
